[heading] Egypt - Rome's breadbasket - is under threat. An unknown enemy has slaughtered the garrison of the Empire's last outpost before its border with the mysterious kingdom of Kush. Caravans can no longer reach the crucial Red Sea port of Berenike, from which the riches of the East flow towards Rome. The Emperor's most trusted and most devious adviser has ordered Marcus Aquila's commander Scaurus and his officers to the south. With orders that are tantamount to a suicide mission, and with only one slim hope of success. Can a small force of highly trained legionaries restore the Empire's power in this remote desert no-man's-land, when faced by the fanatical army of Kush's iron-fisted ruler? Acclaim for Empire : 'Some authors are better historians than they are storytellers. Anthony Riches is brilliant at both.' Conn Iggulden [Author picture credit] David Tombs Photography.